Riad Tanja

This graceful Moroccan salon-restaurant was one of the country's first to offer nouvelle Marocain, and is just as popular with Tanjawis as with visitors. A set five-course menu, originally compiled by former owner Moha Fedal, of Dar Moha fame in Marrakech, travels the length and breadth of Morocco. Starters are a mosaic of Mediterranean salads including a ratatouille taktouka, mashed sweet pumpkin, and a red-pepper paste with almonds. A pastilla of pigeon or monkfish or veggie-filled pastry triangles follows. Main courses are alternative takes on the standard tagine and can be accompanied by a spicy house couscous. I love the dessert selections, which include a Hispano-Moorish tart and a simply delectable chakhchoukha (almond and apple in a phyllo pastry) served with saffron-infused stewed apples. The twin salons are decked out with thick, red Berber carpets; dark-wood chairs with comfortable linen cushions; antique drawings, paintings, and maps adorning the shiny tadelakt walls; and soft lighting and candles. On pleasant evenings, ask for a table to be set on the balcony overlooking the edge of the medina and across to the Bay of Tangier.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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